View source for Guanxi

{{Short description|Chinese term for relationship networks}}
{{Italic title}}
{{About||the township in Hsinchu County, Taiwan|Guanxi, Hsinchu}}
{{Distinguish|Guangxi}}
{{Asian philosophy sidebar}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|title=Guanxi
|t={{linktext|關係}}
|s={{linktext|关系}}
|p=guānxi
|w=kuan-hsi
|bpmf=ㄍㄨㄢ ㄒㄧ˙
|mi={{IPAc-cmn|g|uan|1|.|x|i}}
|poj=koan-hē
|y=gwāan haih
|j=gwaan1 hai6
}}
'''''Guanxi''''' ({{Lang-zh|s={{Linktext|关系}}|t={{Linktext|關係}}|p=guānxì}}) is a term used in [[Chinese culture]] to describe an individual's [[social network]] of mutually beneficial personal and business relationships.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|publisher=US-Pacific Rim International, Inc.|title=The Most Misunderstood Business Concept In China|first1=Anthony|last1=Goh|first2=Matthew|last2=Sullivan|date=24 February 2011|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-misunderstood-business-concept-in-china-2011-2|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Business Insider|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Burt |first=Ronald S. |last2=Opper |first2=Sonja |date=2024 |title=Guanxi and Structural Holes: Strong Bridges from Relational Embedding |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/730630 |journal=American Journal of Sociology |language=en |volume=130 |issue=1 |pages=1–43 |doi=10.1086/730630 |issn=0002-9602|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The character ''guan'', 关, means "closed" and "caring" while the character ''xi'' 系 means "system" and together the term refers to a closed caring system of relationships that is somewhat analogous to the term [[Old boy network|old boy's network]] in the West.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Girard |first=Bonnie |title=Why the US-China Trade Negotiations Are Stuck |url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/05/why-the-us-china-trade-negotiations-are-stuck/ |access-date=2022-01-27 |website=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In [[Western media]], the [[pinyin]] romanization ''guanxi'' is more widely used than common translations such as "connections" or "relationships" because those terms do not capture the significance of a person's ''guanxi'' to most personal and business dealings in China. Unlike in the [[Western world|West]], ''guanxi'' relationships are almost never established purely through formal meetings but must also include spending time to get to know each other during tea sessions, dinner banquets, or other personal meetings. Essentially, ''guanxi'' requires a personal bond before any business relationship can develop. As a result, ''guanxi'' relationships are often more tightly bound than relationships in Western personal social networks.<ref name="Gold, Thomas 2002"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Chinese business values: Guanxi, mianzi, renqing|url=https://www.asiamediacentre.org.nz/features/chinese-business-values-guanxi-mianzi-renqing/|access-date=2022-01-27|website=Asia Media Centre {{!}} New Zealand|date=22 September 2017 }}</ref> ''Guanxi'' has a major influence on the management of businesses based in [[mainland China]], [[Hong Kong]], and those owned by [[Overseas Chinese]] people in [[Southeast Asia]] (the [[bamboo network]]).<ref name="Yeung">{{cite book|author=H. W-c Yeung|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lTfWutnFbfkC&pg=PA412|title=Handbook of Research on Asian Business|publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84720-318-2|page=412}}</ref>

''Guanxi'' networks are grounded in [[Confucianism|Confucian]] doctrine about the proper structure of family, hierarchical, and friendly relationships in a community, including the need for implicit mutual commitments, [[Reciprocity (social psychology)|reciprocity]], and [[Trust (social science)|trust]].<ref>Luo, Yadong, Ying Huang, and Stephanie Lu Wang. "Guanxi and Organisational Performance: A Meta-Analysis." ''Management and Organization Review'' 8.1 (2011): 139–72. Print.</ref>

''Guanxi'' has 3 sub-dimensions sometimes abbreviated as GRX which stands for ''[[ganqing]]'', a measure of the emotional attachment in a relationship, ''renqing'' ({{lang|zh-Hans-CN|[[wikt:人情|人情]]}} ''rénqíng''/''jen-ch'ing''), the moral obligation to maintain a relationship with reciprocal exchange of favors, and ''xinren'', or the amount of interpersonal trust.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Yen|first1=Dorothy A.|last2=Abosag|first2=Ibrahim|last3=Huang|first3=Yu-An|last4=Nguyen|first4=Bang|date=2017-10-01|title=Guanxi GRX (ganqing, renqing, xinren) and conflict management in Sino-US business relationships|journal=Industrial Marketing Management|language=en|volume=66|pages=103–114|doi=10.1016/j.indmarman.2017.07.011|issn=0019-8501|doi-access=free}}</ref> ''Guanxi'' is also related to the idea of "[[Face (sociological concept)|face]]" ({{lang|zh-Hans-CN|面子}}, ''miànzi''/''mien-tzu''), which refers to social status, propriety, prestige, or a combination of all three. Other related concepts include ''wulun'' ({{lang-zh|t=五倫|p=wǔlún}}), the five cardinal types of relationships,<ref name="Bell2000">{{cite journal |last1=Bell |first1=Duran |title=Guanxi: A Nesting of Groups |journal=Current Anthropology |date=February 2000 |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=132–138 |doi=10.1086/300113 |url=https://sites.socsci.uci.edu/~dbell/guanxi.pdf}}</ref>{{rp|133}} which supports the idea of a long-term, developing relationship between a business and its client, and ''yi-ren'' and ''ren'', which respectively support reciprocity and empathy.

==History==
The ''guanxi'' system developed in [[Imperialism|imperial]], [[Dynasty|dynastic]] China.<ref name=":7" /> Historically, China lacked a strong [[rule of law]] and the government did not hold every citizen subject to the law. As a result, the law did not provide the same legal protection as it did in the West. Chinese people developed ''guanxi'' along with the concept of [[Face (sociological concept)#Chinese|face]] and personal reputation to help ensure trust between each other in business and personal matters.<ref name=":6" /> Today, the power of ''guanxi'' resides primarily within the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP).<ref name=":7" />

==Description and usage==
''Guanxi'' refers to connections among individuals involving implicit expectations of loyalty, obligation, and mutual commitment.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Leutert |first=Wendy |title=China's State-Owned Enterprises: Leadership, Reform, and Internationalization |date=2024 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-009-48654-5 |edition= |series=Business and Public Policy Series |location=Cambridge}}</ref>{{Rp|page=26}} The concept includes both formal and informal on-going relationships.<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|page=26}} These relationships include both peer relationships and hierarchal relationships.<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|page=26}}

===In a personal context===
''Guanxi'' also refers to the benefits gained from social connections and usually extends from extended family, school friends, workmates and members of standard clubs or organizations. It is customary for Chinese people to cultivate an intricate web of ''guanxi'' relationships, which may expand in a huge number of directions, and includes lifelong relationships. Staying in contact with members of your network is not necessary to bind reciprocal obligations. Reciprocal favors are the key factor to maintaining one's ''guanxi'' web. At the same time failure to reciprocate is considered an unforgivable offense (that is, the more one asks of someone, the more one owes them). ''Guanxi'' can perpetuate a never-ending cycle of favors.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ostrowski|first=Pierre|title=It's all Chinese to Me: an overview of culture & etiquette in China|year=2009|publisher=Tuttle|isbn=978-0-8048-4079-8|pages=48–49|author2=Gwen Penner}}</ref>

The term is not generally used to describe interpersonal relationships within a family, although ''guanxi'' obligations can sometimes be described in terms of an extended family. Essentially, familial relations are the core of one's interpersonal relations, while the various non-familial interpersonal relations are modifications or extensions of familial relations.<ref name=":0" /> Chinese culture's emphasis on familial relations informs ''guanxi'' as well, making it such that both familial relations and non-familial interpersonal relations are grounded by similar behavioral norms.<ref name=":2">Hsuing, Bingyuan. “Guanxi: Personal connections in Chinese society.” ''Journal of Bioeconomics'' 15.1 (2013): 17–40. Print.</ref> An individual may view and interact with other individuals in a way that is similar to their viewing of and interactions with family members; through ''guanxi'', a relationship between two friends can be likened by each friend to being a pseudo elder sibling–younger sibling relationship, with each friend acting accordingly based on that relationship (the friend who sees himself as the "younger sibling" will show more deference to the friend who is the "older sibling"). ''Guanxi'' is also based on concepts like loyalty, dedication, reciprocity, and trust, which help to develop non-familial interpersonal relations, while mirroring the concept of [[filial piety]], which is used to ground familial relations.

Ultimately, the relationships formed by ''guanxi'' are personal and not transferable.<ref name=":0">{{Citation
  | last = Fan
  | first = Y
  | title = Questioning Guanxi: Definition, classification and implications
  | newspaper = International Business Review
  | date = December 11, 2007}}
</ref>

===In a business context===
In China, a country where business relations are highly socially embedded, ''guanxi'' plays a central role in the shaping and development of day-to-day business transactions by allowing inter-business relationships and relationships between businesses and the government to grow as individuals representing these organizations work with one another. Specifically, in a business context, ''guanxi'' occurs through individual interactions first before being applied on a corporate level (e.g., one member of a business may perform a favor for a member of another business because they have interpersonal ties, which helps to facilitate the relationship between the two businesses involved in this interaction).<ref name=":4">Flora F. Gu, Kineta Hung, David K. Tse. “When Does Guanxi Matter? Issues of Capitalization and Its Dark Sides.” ''Journal of Marketing'' 72.4 (2008): 12–28. Print.</ref> ''Guanxi'' also acts as an essential informal governance mechanism, helping leverage Chinese organizations on social and economic platforms. In places in China where institutions, like the structuring of local governments and government policies, may make business interactions less efficient to facilitate, ''guanxi'' can serve as a way for businesses to circumvent such institutions by having their members cultivate their interpersonal ties.<ref name=":4" />

Thus, ''guanxi'' is important in two domains: [[social ties]] with managers of suppliers, buyers, competitors, and other business intermediaries; and social ties with government officials at various national government-regulated agencies. Given its extensive influential power in the shaping of business operations, many see ''guanxi'' as a crucial source of [[social capital]] and a strategic tool for business success.<ref name=":2" /> Thanks to a good knowledge of ''guanxi'', companies obtain secret information, increase their knowledge about precise government regulations, and receive privileged access to stocks and resources. Knowing this, some economists have warned that Western countries and others that trade regularly with China should improve their "[[Cultural Competency|cultural competency]]" in regards to practices such as ''guanxi''. In doing so, such countries can avoid financial fallout caused by a lack of awareness regarding the way practices like ''guanxi'' operate.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://montrealgazette.com/mobile/business/fp-business/Links+with+China+bring+long+term+pain+study/7203689/story.html|title = Dancing with the Dragon: Canadian Investment in China and Chinese Investment in Canada|date = September 2012|last = Smart|first = Josephine}}</ref>

The nature of ''guanxi'', however, can also form the basis of [[patronage|patron–client relations]]. As a result, it creates challenges for businesses whose members are obligated to repay favors to members of other businesses when they cannot sufficiently do so. In following these obligations, businesses may also be forced to act in ways detrimental to their future, and start to over-rely on each other. Members within a business may also start to more frequently discuss information that all members knew prior, rather than try and discuss information only known by select members. If the ties fail between two businesses within an overall network built through ''guanxi'', the other ties comprising the overall network have a chance of failing as well.<ref name=":4" /> A ''guanxi'' network may also violate [[bureaucratic]] norms, leading to [[corporate corruption]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title = The changing Chinese culture and business behavior: The perspective of intertwinement between guanxi and corruption|date = 2008-02-02|last = Luo|first = Yadong|doi=10.1016/j.ibusrev.2008.02.002|volume=17|issue = 2|journal=International Business Review|pages=188–193}}</ref>

Note that the aforementioned organizational flaws ''guanxi'' creates can be diminished by having more efficient institutions (like [[open market]] systems that are regulated by formal organizational procedures while promoting [[Market competition|competition]] and innovation) in place to help facilitate business interactions more effectually.<ref name=":4" />

In East Asian societies, the boundary between business and social lives can sometimes be ambiguous as people tend to rely heavily on their closer relations and friends. This can result in [[nepotism]] in the workforce being created through ''guanxi'', as it is common for authoritative figures to draw from family and close ties to fill employment opportunities, instead of assessing talent and suitability. This practice often prevents the most suitably qualified person from being employed for the position.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Jun|first=Lin|author2=Steven X. Si|title=Can guanxi be a problem? Contexts, ties, and some unfavorable consequences of social capital in China|journal=Asia Pacific Journal of Management|year=2010|volume=27|issue=3}}</ref> However, ''guanxi'' only becomes nepotism when individuals start to value their interpersonal relationships as ways to accomplish their goals over the relationships themselves.<ref name=":5">Verhezen, Peter. "''Guanxi'': Networks or Nepotism?: ''The dark side of business networks''." ''Europe-Asia Dialogue on Business Spirituality''. Ed. Laszlo Zsolnai. Antwerpen: Garant, 2008. 89–106. Print.</ref> When interpersonal relationships are seen in this light, then, it is usually the case that individuals are not viewing their cultivation of prospective business relationships without [[bias]]. In addition, ''guanxi'' and nepotism are distinct in that the former is inherently a social transaction (considering the emphasis on the actual act of building relationships) and not purely based in financial transactions, while the latter is explicitly based in financial transactions and has a higher chance of resulting in legal consequences.<ref name=":5" /> However, [[cronyism]] is less obvious and can lead to low-risk [[sycophancy]] and empire-building [[bureaucracy]] within the internal politics of an organisation.

''Guanxi'' has a bigger impact on leader-subordinate relations in [[State-owned enterprises of China|China's state-owned enterprises]] (SOEs) than in private enterprises.<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|page=146}} This is because evaluation systems in SOEs are generally more subjective than in private enterprises.<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|page=146}}

===In a political context  ===
For relationship-based networks such as ''guanxi'', reputation plays an important role in shaping interpersonal and political relations. As a result, the government is still the most important stakeholder, despite China's recent efforts to minimise government involvement. Key government officials wield the authority to choose political associates and allies, approve projects, allocate resources, and distribute finances. Thus, it is especially crucial for international companies to develop harmonious personal relationships with government officials. In addition to holding major legislative power, the [[Government of China|Chinese government]] owns vital resources including land, banks, and major media networks and wields major influence over other stakeholders. Thus, it is important to maintain good relations with the central government in order for a business to maintain ''guanxi''.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = "Gūanxi ", government and corporate reputation in China: Lessons for international companies|last = Ying|first = Fan|date = 2007|journal = Marketing Intelligence & Planning|doi = 10.1108/02634500710774969|volume=25|issue = 5|pages=499–510|url = http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/1287}}</ref> However, the issue of ''guanxi'' as a form of [[government corruption]] has been raised into question over recent years.{{When|date=February 2020}} This is often the case when businesspeople interpret ''guanxi''<nowiki/>'s reciprocal obligations as unethical gift-giving in exchange for government approval. The line drawn between ethical and unethical reciprocal obligation is unclear, but China is currently looking into understanding the structural problems inherent in the ''guanxi'' system.<ref name="Harding 2014">{{Cite journal|url = http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic/?shr=t&csi=142678&sr=TITLE(%22Corruption%20or%20guanxi?%20Differentiating%20between%20the%20legitimate,%20unethical,%20and%20corrupt%20activities%20of%20Chinese%20government%20officials%22)%20and%20date%20is%202014|last = Harding|first = Jacob| title=Corruption or ''Guanxi''? Differentiating Between the Legitimate, Unethical, and Corrupt Activities of Chinese Government Officials |date = 2014|journal = UCLA Pacific Basin Law Journal| volume=31 | issue=2 | doi=10.5070/P8312025178 |doi-access = free}}</ref>

=== In a diasporic context ===
''Guanxi'' can be used as a school of thought that influences how ethnic Chinese think of and view society. The Chinese in the diaspora are more likely to adhere and connect to the group of people with shared background.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Yan |first1=Miu Chung |last2=Wong |first2=Karen Lok Yi |last3=Lai |first3=Daniel |date=2019-10-02 |title=Subethnic interpersonal dynamic in diasporic community: a study on Chinese immigrants in Vancouver |journal=Asian Ethnicity |language=en |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=451–468 |doi=10.1080/14631369.2019.1613885 |issn=1463-1369|doi-access=free |hdl=10397/81298 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Moreover, diasporic communities might possess ties with individuals in their home country. Guanxi allows the diaspora to maintain their networks and foster close relations with people in their home country and form a subethnic enclave within society. Guanxi could also influence how the diaspora assimilates into the host country, and how the diaspora deals with racism in society. Groups that could be studied are  Chinese-Americans, Chinese-Indonesians who have faced prejudice in their host countries. Marred by the [[Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871|LA massacre in 1871]], [[1992 Los Angeles riots|''Saigu'' in 1992]], the [[Internment of Japanese Americans|Japanese American internment during World War II]], and the idea of the "Hindu Invasion",<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Erika |title=The Making of Asian America: A History |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2016 |pages=161–163}}</ref><ref>Lockley, Fred (2011-07-19). "Fred Lockley, "The Hindu Invasion: A New Immigration Problem" (1907)". ''Pacific Monthly''. Retrieved 2023-11-24.</ref> the Asian Americans already in the United States faced discrimination from the wider American society. They had to find solutions based on trial and error, looking for legal, political, and social ways to find their place in society.<ref name=":02">Anne Chao and Chris Chan, “The Gees of Houston: Networking for Strength and Survival,” ''Transnational Asia'' vol. 3, no. 1 (2019)</ref>

==Ethical concerns==
In recent years, the ethical consequences of ''guanxi'' have been brought into question. While ''guanxi'' can bring benefits to people directly within the ''guanxi'' network, it also has the potential to bring harm to individuals, societies and nations when misused or abused. For example, mutual reciprocal obligation is a major component of ''guanxi''. However, the specific date, time and method are often unspecified. Thus, ''guanxi'' can be ethically questionable when one party takes advantage of others' personal favors, without seeking to reciprocate.<ref>Dennis B. Hwang, Patricia L. Golemon, Yan Chen, Teng-Shih Wang and Wen-Shai Hung. "Guanxi and Business Ethics in Confucian Society Today: An Empirical Case Study in Taiwan." ''Journal of Business Ethics'' 89.2 (2009): 235–250. Print.</ref> A common example of unethical reciprocal obligation involves the abuse of business-government relations. In 2013, an official of the CCP criticized government officials for using public funds of over 10,000 yuan for banquets. This totals approximately 48 billion dollars' worth of banquets per year.<ref name="Harding 2014"/> ''Guanxi'' may also allow for interpersonal obligations to take precedence over civic duties.<ref name=":1">{{Citation
  |last = Ansfield|first = Jonathan|title = Where Guanxi Rules|newspaper = Newsweek|date = December 17, 2007|url = http://www.newsweek.com/id/74369}}</ref>

Guanxi is a neutral word, but the use or practice of guanxi can range from 'benign, neutral, to questionable and corrupt'.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Fan | first1 = Ying | year = 2002 | title = Ganxi's Consequences: Personal Gains at Social Cost | url = http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/1281| journal = Journal of Business Ethics | volume = 38 | issue = 4| pages = 371–80 [378] | doi=10.1023/a:1016021706308| s2cid = 154277952 }}</ref> In mainland China, terms like guanxi practice or ''la'' guanxi are used to refer to bribery and corruption.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite journal | last1 = Li | first1 = L | year = 2011 | title = Performing Bribery in China: guanxi-practice, corruption with a human face | url = https://zenodo.org/record/895341| journal = Journal of Contemporary China | volume = 20 | issue = 68| pages = 1–20 | doi=10.1080/10670564.2011.520841| s2cid = 154040629 }}</ref> Guanxi practice is commonly employed by favour seekers to seek corrupt benefits from power-holders. Guanxi offers an efficient information transmission channel to help guanxi members to identify potential and trustworthy partners; it also offers a safe and secret platform for illegal transactions. Guanxi norms help buyers and sellers of corrupt benefits justify and rationalize their acts.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Zhan | first1 = J. V. | year = 2012 | title = Filling the gap of formal institutions: the effects of Guanxi network on corruption in reform-era China | journal = Crime, Law and Social Change | volume = 58 | issue = 2| pages = 93–109 | doi=10.1007/s10611-012-9379-9| s2cid = 154430151 }}</ref> Li's ''Performing Bribery in China'' (2011)<ref name="ReferenceA"/> as well as Wang's ''The buying and selling of military positions'' (2016)<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Wang | first1 = P | year = 2016 | title = Military corruption in China: the role of guanxi in the buying and selling of military positions | journal = The China Quarterly | volume = 228 | page = 970 | doi=10.1017/s0305741016001144| hdl = 10722/227432 | s2cid = 56392352 | hdl-access = free }}</ref><ref>Wang, Peng (2017). The Chinese Mafia: Organized Crime, Corruption, and Extra-Legal Protection. Oxford: Oxford University Press.</ref> analyze how guanxi practice works in corrupt exchanges.

This question is especially critical in cross-cultural business partnerships, when Western firms and auditors are operating within Confucian cultures. Western-based managers must exercise caution in determining whether or not their Chinese colleagues and business partners are in fact practicing ''guanxi''. Caution and extra guidance should be taken to ensure that conflict does not occur as a result of misunderstood cultural agreements.<ref name=":1" />

Other studies argue that ''guanxi'' is not in fact unethical, but is rather wrongly accused of an act thought unethical in the eyes of those unacquainted with it and Chinese culture. Just as how the Western juridical system is the image of the Western ethical attitudes, it can be said that the Eastern legal system functions similarly. Also, while Westerners might misunderstand ''guanxi'' as a form of corruption, the Chinese recognize ''guanxi'' as a subset of ''renqing'', which likens the maintenance of interpersonal relationships to a moral obligation. As such, any relevant actions taken to maintain such relationships are recognized as working within ethical constraints.<ref>Steve Lovett, Lee C. Simmons and Raja Kali. "Guanxi versus the Market: Ethics and Efficiency." ''Journal of International Business Studies'' 30.2 (1999): 231–247. Print.</ref>

The term ''guanxixue'' ({{lang|zh-Hans-CN|关系学}}, the 'art' or 'knowledge' of ''guanxi'') is also used to specifically refer to the manipulation and corruption brought about by a selfish and sometimes illegal utilization of ''guanxi''. In turn, ''guanxixue'' distinguishes unethical usage of ''guanxi'' from the term ''guanxi'' itself.<ref>Douglas Guthrie. 1998. ''The Declining Significance of Guanxi in China's Economic Transition''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref> Although many Chinese lament the strong importance of ''guanxi'' in their culture because of the unethical use that arises through it, they still consider ''guanxi'' as a Chinese element that should not be denied.

==Similar concepts in other cultures==
Sociologists have linked ''guanxi'' with the concept of [[social capital]] (it has been described as a ''[[Gemeinschaft]]'' value structure), and it has been exhaustively described in Western studies of Chinese economic and political behavior.<ref name="Gold, Thomas 2002">Gold, Thomas, Douglas Guthrie, and David Wank. 2002. ''Social Connections in China: Institutions, Culture and the Changing Nature of Guanxi.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref>
*[[Blat (Russia)|''Blat'']] in [[Russians|Russian]] culture
*Shurobadzhanashtina in [[Bulgaria]]n society
*''[[Wasta]]'' in [[Middle East]]ern culture
*''[[Sociolismo]]'' in [[Cuba]]n culture
*[[Old boy network]] in Anglo-Saxon and Finnish culture
*[[Dignitas (Roman concept)|''Dignitas'']] in ancient Roman culture
*Ksharim (literally 'connections') in Israeli culture. [[:wikt:פרוטקציה|Protektsia]] (from the word 'Protection') is the use of ksharim for personal gain or helping another, also known in slang as 'Vitamin P'.
*[[Enchufe]] (literally 'plug in' – compare English 'hook up') in Spain, meaning to 'plug' friends or acquaintances 'into' a job or position.
*''[[Compadrazgo]]'' in [[Latin America]]n culture<ref>Velez‐Calle, A., Robledo‐Ardila, C., & Rodriguez‐Rios, J. D. (2015). On the Influence of Interpersonal Relations on Business Practices in Latin America: A Comparison with the Chinese Guanxi and the Arab Wasta. Thunderbird International Business Review.</ref>
*[[Padrino System]] in the Philippines (basically "godfather" or patron), also known locally as "kapit" (Filipino word for "to hang on," "to hook on.")

===Western vs. Eastern social business relations===
The four dimensions for a successful business networking comprise: trust, bonding, mutual relationship, and empathy. Nevertheless, the points of view in which these dimensions are understood and consolidated into business tasks are extensively disparate in the East vs the West.<ref name=":3">Meiling Wong. "''Guanxi'' and its role in business." ''Chinese Management Studies'' 1:4 (2007): 257 – 276. Print.</ref>

From the Western point of view, trust is treated as shared unwavering quality, constancy, and correspondence. Instead, from the Eastern point of view, trust is additionally synonymous with obligation, where guanxi is required to be kept up through persistent long haul affiliation and connection. The Chinese system of ''wulun'' (the basic norms of ''guanxi'') supports the Eastern attitude, emphasizing that one's fulfillment of one's responsibilities in a given role ensures the smooth functioning of Chinese society. Correspondence is likewise a measurement that is substantially more stressed in the East than in the West. As per Confucianism, every individual is urged to wind up a yi-ren (exemplary individual) and compensate some help with altogether more than one has gotten. In conclusion, compassion is a measurement that is exceedingly implanted in Eastern business bonds, the significance for dealers and clients to see each other's needs is extremely important. The Confucian understanding of ''ren'', which also equates to "Do not do to others as one does not want others to do to him", stresses the importance for sellers and customers to understand each other's needs.<ref name=":3" />

Cross-cultural differences in its usage also distinguish Western relationship marketing from Chinese ''guanxi''. Unlike Western relationship marketing, where networking plays a more surface-level impersonal role in shaping larger business relations, ''guanxi'' plays a much more central and personal role in shaping social business relations. Chinese culture borrows much of its practices from Confucianism, which emphasizes collectivism and long-term personal relations. Likewise, ''guanxi'' functions within Chinese culture and directly reflects the values and behaviors expressed in Chinese business relations.<ref name="Yang">{{Cite journal|title = The Importance of Guanxi to Multinational Companies in China|last = Yang|first = Fang|date = July 2011|journal = Asian Social Science|volume = 7|issue = 7|doi = 10.5539/ass.v7n7p163|id = {{ProQuest|877038279}}|doi-access = free}}</ref> For example, reciprocal obligation plays an intricate role in maintaining harmonious business relations. It is expected that both sides not only stay friendly with each other, but also reciprocate a favor given by the other party. Western relationship marketing, on the other hand, is much more formally constructed, in which no social obligation and further exchanges of favors are expected. Thus, long-term personal relations are more emphasized in Chinese ''guanxi'' practice than in Western relationship marketing.<ref name="Yang"/>

==See also==
{{Portal|China|Society}}
*[[Blat (favors)|Blat]] (similar phenomenon in Russia)
*[[Sociolismo]] (similar phenomenon in Cuba)
*[[Compadrazgo]] (similar phenomenon in Latin America)
*[[Ubuntu philosophy]] (similar phenomenon in Africa)
*[[System D]] (similar concept of informality from European French)
*[[Bamboo network]]
*[[Chinese social relations]]
*[[Ganqing]]
*[[Mianzi]]
*[[Social capital]]
*[[Social network]]
*[[Xenia (Greek)|Xenos (guest-friend)]] an ancient Greek concept

{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{wiktionary}}
*[https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4298284.stm China's modern power house], [[BBC]] article discussing the role of Guanxi in the modern governance of China.
*[http://guanxi.pbwiki.com/ What is guanxi?] Wiki discussion about definitions of guanxi, developed by the publishers of [http://www.guanxionline.com Guanxi: The China Letter].
* ''Guanxi, The art of relationships'', by Robert Buderi, Gregory T. Huang, {{ISBN|0-7432-7322-2}}.
*[http://www.gcis.com.cn/China/Regarding%20Guanxi.htm China Characteristics – Regarding Guanxi] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227055445/http://www.gcis.com.cn/China/Regarding%20Guanxi.htm |date=2012-02-27 }} GCiS China Strategic Research

{{China topics}}

[[Category:Bamboo network]]
[[Category:Business culture]]
[[Category:Chinese culture]]
[[Category:Society of China]]
[[Category:Confucianism in China]]
[[Category:Interpersonal relationships]]